Sunday no day of rest for Boxford Fire Department

Monday

Mar 13, 2017 at 5:30 PMMar 13, 2017 at 5:40 PM

Boxford Fire Department responded to three serious incidents on Sunday, extricating an accident victim from his vehicle, assisting a homeowner with a fire, and putting out a fire that engulfed a pickup truck.

Wendall Waters wwaters@wickedlocal.com @ttranscript

Boxford Fire Department responded to three serious incidents on Sunday, extricating an accident victim from his vehicle, assisting a homeowner with a fire, and putting out a fire that engulfed a pickup truck.

Yesterday, around 11 a.m., firefighters responded to a report of a single-vehicle accident off Route 95 South. Boxford Fire Chief Brian Geiger said a man sustained serious injuries when his car went off the off-ramp at Endicott Road and hit a tree. Firefighters had to remove the door to extricate the victim, who was then taken to a local hospital.

Later in the day, firefighters were called to a house on Lakeshore Road. A fire started there when embers in a chimney caught the siding, Geiger said.

The homeowner was able to put most of the fire out by the time firefighters arrived, he said. There was minor damage to the house, but neither the homeowner nor firefighters were injured. The takeaway from the incident, Geiger said, is that homeowners should have their chimneys cleaned and inspected every year.

Sunday evening, firefighters were called to Route 97 in Boxford when a fire that started in the engine of a pickup truck spread to other parts of the vehicle. By the time firefighters arrived on scene, Geiger said, the truck was fully engulfed in flames.

The owner had tried to put the fire out, but wasn’t successful. While the truck was destroyed, Geiger said no one was injured.

Vehicle fires post a number of dangers, Geiger said. Cars are made largely of plastic, which gives off fumes when it burns. And, some components of cars contain magnesium, he said, which when heated breaks water down to hydrogen and oxygen, essentially adding fuel to the fire. So, firefighters use an extinguisher that is specifically made for vehicle fires.